Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The One Where Reality Bites.

Last night was my second viewing of Reality Bites (1994). I had always wanted to see it because I adore Winona Ryder and enjoy watching Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo but I could never find it anywhere. One day I finally found it at a store and was so excited(!) because this film looked awesome! And it was a teeny bit of a disappointment, maybe because I had such high expectations for it.

Directed by: Ben Stiller
Written by: Helen Childress

Lelaina (Ryder), Troy (Ethan Hawke), Vickie (Garofalo) and Sammy (Steve Zahn) have just graduated college. They pretty much have no idea what they are going to do with their lives at this point.

They also have problems with love, especially Lelaina. She finds herself in a complicated love triangle with Michael (Stiller); a straight-arrow, successful guy and Troy; a sloppy, grungy guy. Personally, I like Michael better :)

Ryder is fantastic as Leliana! Her performance is immaculate and definitely rings true. The scene where she calls the psychic is hilarious and just plain sad; in a good way. I really loved Leilana for her creativity and honesty. She is a truly lovable character.
Hawke plays Troy very well, but I wasn't crazy about his character. He's somewhat of a sleazeball. But nonetheless, Hawke does a good job.
Stiller is also great as Michael. He really suits a suit! Michael is so sweet and really cares for Leliana, despite one certain event that occurs later in the film. But at the end he proves that he really loves her and that that certain event was a stupid mistake. I love Leliana and Michael together. Kudos to Stiller who also directed the film :)

Vickie and Sammy are also great characters. Vickie is a 70's obsessed, one night stander and Sammy has been described as "sexually repressed". Their great scene is at the gas station with Leliana and Troy when they dance to 'My Sharona' by The Knack. Sammy is hilarious when he starts to join in:

Overall, there is no doubt that I enjoy this film, but there is something missing. I really don't know what it is, but it feels like I can't take it in and some bits are missing. Also, I was not entirely happy with the ending which is somewhat controversial. Nonetheless, I would definitely watch it again for my love of most of the characters.
I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GGTmZO-H5A

Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 99 mins.

Taysha. x

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